The first quarterfinal match to begin was—
Yelena Zephyr versus Reinheart Verilian.
And unlike the other battles—
this one carried history behind it.
A complicated one.
Yelena Zephyr and Reinheart Verilian had once been close as children.
Extremely close.
The two families often interacted due to military affairs, and because of that—
the prince and the lightning prodigy had practically grown up together.
There had even been quiet rumors amongst the nobles back then.
Rumors of a hidden engagement between the two.
After all—
both possessed extraordinary talent.
Both came from influential bloodlines.
And most importantly—
Reinheart himself had genuinely enjoyed being around her.
But everything changed when Yelena turned twelve.
The war against the Astryx Empire had taken countless lives during that period.
And amongst those deaths—
was Yelena's mother.
A woman who had warned the Empire beforehand.
She had predicted the enemy ambush.
Predicted the trap.
Yet the higher-ups still proceeded with the operation.
And the result—
was disaster.
From that day onward—
something inside Yelena changed completely.
The cheerful girl who once followed Reinheart around vanished.
And the prince—
became someone she could barely stand to look at.
Especially because—
deep down—
a part of her blamed him.
Not directly.
Not logically.
But emotionally.
Because Reinheart was royalty.
A symbol of the very people who ignored her mother's warning.
And perhaps—
what hurt even more—
was the fact that Reinheart himself never once tried to defend his family's actions.
He simply accepted her hatred silently.
Now—
years later—
the two stood opposite each other upon the arena.
The atmosphere felt unusually tense.
Even the crowd noticed immediately.
Yelena's golden eyes held none of their usual composure.
Lightning flickered uncontrollably around her fingers.
Meanwhile—
Reinheart stood calmly with one hand inside his pocket.
The lazy smile he usually wore had disappeared entirely.
For once—
the prince looked serious.
The wind quietly passed between them.
Then—
Reinheart spoke first.
"…It's been a while since we fought seriously."
Yelena's expression hardened instantly.
"Don't speak like we're still friends."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
Reinheart smiled faintly.
Not mockingly.
Not arrogantly.
Just…
sadly.
"…Yeah."
"I figured you'd say that."
"BEGIN!"
The instant the signal rang—
both figures vanished.
BOOOOM.
The arena floor cracked beneath their acceleration as Yelena and Reinheart crossed the battlefield almost instantly.
CLANG!
Their blades collided violently at the center of the arena.
A powerful shockwave erupted outward, forcing the nearest students to shield their faces from the pressure alone.
Fast.
The two were absurdly fast.
Yelena twisted sharply before driving another strike toward Reinheart's ribs, only for the prince to redirect the blade with elegant precision before counterattacking instantly.
The exchange flowed unnaturally smoothly.
Like instinct.
Like muscle memory carved through years.
And honestly—
that made sense.
These two had once trained together endlessly as children.
The crowd roared loudly as the battle intensified.
"THEY'RE MONSTERS!"
"THAT SPEED—!"
"ARE THEY REALLY FIRST YEARS?!"
Meanwhile—
I quietly narrowed my eyes.
Reinheart's movements felt strange.
Too smooth.
Too controlled.
Even now—
he still hadn't revealed his affinity.
Which was odd.
Because despite being a member of the royal family—
nobody actually knew what element Reinheart Verilian possessed.
Not publicly at least.
Even inside the novel—
his abilities had always remained strangely vague during the early stages.
Then—
their blades locked together once more.
For a brief moment—
silence.
Yelena glared directly into his eyes.
"…Stop acting like nothing happened."
Reinheart's smile faded slightly.
"…I never did."
The next second—
mana erupted.
FWOOSHHHH.
Dark purple lightning exploded around Yelena violently.
Electricity surged across the battlefield like wild serpents as the pressure within the arena instantly increased.
The crowd erupted immediately.
"PURPLE LIGHTNING?!"
"That affinity is insane!"
But then—
something else erupted.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Golden lightning burst outward from Reinheart's body.
For a split second—
even I froze.
Gold against purple.
Two storms colliding against one another.
The entire arena illuminated beneath the violent clash of electricity.
My eyes widened slightly.
Lightning?
The prince wields lightning too?
Honestly—
that shocked me.
Because Reinheart had never once shown his affinity before.
Not once.
Even throughout the novel—
his true abilities remained hidden for an absurdly long time.
Yet now—
golden lightning danced around his body beautifully while his blond hair fluttered beneath the storm of mana surrounding him.
The crowd exploded into complete chaos.
"THE PRINCE HAS LIGHTNING?!"
"GOLD LIGHTNING?!"
"WHEN WAS HE HIDING THIS?!"
Even Silver narrowed his eyes beside me slightly.
"…So that's his element."
Samuel let out a disbelieving laugh.
"You're telling me he hid THAT this entire time?"
Meanwhile—
I kept staring toward the battlefield quietly.
Because something about Reinheart felt different now.
Dangerous.
For the first time—
the lazy prince who constantly smiled and joked around had vanished.
And standing there instead—
was a genuine monster of the royal bloodline.
The arena had already fallen into ruin.
Cracks spread endlessly across the battlefield while remnants of golden and purple lightning continued tearing violently through the air.
The crowd had gone almost completely silent now.
Because what they were witnessing no longer felt like a simple academy tournament.
It felt personal.
At the center of the shattered arena—
Yelena and Reinheart stood facing each other.
Both breathing heavily now.
Cuts marked their bodies.
Burn marks spread across their uniforms from the constant lightning collisions.
Yet neither stepped back.
Purple lightning crackled violently around Yelena's blade.
Wild.
Chaotic.
Meanwhile—
golden lightning spiraled around Reinheart calmly.
Refined.
Sharp.
The contrast between them was almost poetic.
Then—
Reinheart slowly smiled.
Not arrogantly.
Not mockingly.
Just softly.
And somehow—
that expression only irritated Yelena further.
"You still have the nerve to smile?"
Purple lightning erupted harder around her.
"You think this is funny?"
Reinheart quietly shook his head.
"…No."
For a brief moment—
his gaze drifted downward.
And when he spoke again—
his voice had lost all traces of playfulness.
"…Back then…"
"…when your mother died."
Yelena froze slightly.
The atmosphere itself seemed to tense.
Reinheart slowly tightened his grip around his blade.
"I heard what they said afterward."
"That she was weak."
"That she panicked."
"That she died because she made the wrong choice."
Golden lightning flickered around him violently now.
"And…"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"…I laughed too."
Yelena's eyes widened slightly.
Not from anger.
But disbelief.
Reinheart slowly looked directly into her eyes.
"…I was a child."
"I thought if I laughed with them…"
"…then maybe the guilt would disappear."
Silence.
Yelena's hands trembled slightly around her sword.
Because for the first time—
Reinheart looked genuinely regretful.
"…So."
Golden lightning erupted around him brilliantly.
"…I'm sorry."
BOOOOOOOOM.
The moment those words fell—
Yelena's mana exploded.
Dark-purple lightning erupted across the arena like a raging storm.
Tears of anger flickered briefly within her golden eyes.
"You idiot…"
CRACKKKK.
She vanished instantly.
The arena shattered beneath her acceleration.
Lightning Art — Violet Judgment!.
A massive dragon-shaped eruption of purple lightning roared toward Reinheart violently enough to distort the entire battlefield.
Yet—
instead of retreating—
Reinheart smiled faintly.
Then—
golden lightning exploded around both his blades.
Not cold.
Not regal.
Warm.
Almost blindingly bright.
Lightning Art — Heavenly Radiance.!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
Gold and purple collided directly at the center of the arena.
The resulting explosion swallowed the battlefield instantly.
The barriers around the arena screamed beneath the pressure.
Students shielded their eyes.
The stadium itself trembled violently.
For several seconds—
nothing remained visible except lightning.
Then—
the explosion finally faded.
Smoke slowly drifted through the ruined battlefield.
And at the center—
both figures remained standing.
Barely.
Yelena's blade rested against Reinheart's neck.
Meanwhile—
one of Reinheart's swords pointed toward her chest.
Silence filled the arena.
Then—
both collapsed simultaneously.
BOOM.
The crowd froze briefly.
Before the announcer's stunned voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"…DRAW."
And somehow—
for those two—
that result felt perfect.
Inside the Zephyr Mansion—
Kazis Zephyr silently watched the broadcast crystal with trembling eyes.
The image of his daughter collapsing alongside Reinheart continued replaying endlessly across the screen.
For a long moment—
the old warrior said nothing.
Then—
a large smile slowly appeared on his face.
A proud one.
"…You've grown strong, Yelena."
His gaze slowly shifted toward a painting resting quietly upon the wall nearby.
A woman with gentle eyes smiled eternally from within the portrait.
Kazis' expression softened.
"No…"
"We are proud of you."
Silence filled the room afterward.
Meanwhile—
back inside the tournament arena—
I quietly watched as the nurses carried both Yelena and Reinheart away toward the medical wing.
Despite everything—
Yelena's expression looked strangely lighter.
And Reinheart—
even unconscious—
still wore that faint smile.
I quietly sighed.
"…Maybe there's still a chance for those two to make up."
Then—
my gaze slowly shifted toward the black-haired boy standing beside me.
Silver Ryker.
Unlike the roaring crowd around us—
he remained silent.
His cold silver eyes were fixed upon the ruined battlefield below.
"…What?"
He noticed me staring.
I smiled faintly.
"Nothing."
"…Just wondering."
Silver raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Wondering what?"
I leaned back against the railing afterward.
"…If our fight is going to destroy the arena worse than that."
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
to my genuine surprise—
Silver smirked slightly.
"…Probably."